Taken from the car in early morning light, to correspond with the theme I wanted to show more background. This way you can appreciate what got into the beak of the Goldfinch in the first place, here being the much maligned, golden dandelion. Maybe I went overboard? Edited with Photoshop and Nik. Original background, except for darkening, unaltered.
Canon EOS 1D Mk II
f/8 1/1600 ISO 800
EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x
Focal Length 560 mm
55% of Original
Your comments and suggestions are always needed, welcomed, and wanted.
The light on this beauty and the "prey" is wonderful. Love the in focus group of flowers but wish it was less busy directly behind the subject. Perhaps a bit more points off the yellow to get details in the breast area. TFS
Bird is nice and sharp and beautifully lit. Photographic purists will find the frame a bit cluttered, but it's a perfect depiction of this species in its preferred habitat. He's a bit low in
the frame, but I don'y know if vegetation issues/constraints make it harder to move him a up. He's looking down, so ideally he'd have more room below than above.